The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is an odd beast, influenced both by a serious mind for music history and the more capricious demons of fame and success. It's demonstrated in the past a deep affection for lesser-known names who were, nonetheless, extremely influential, but more often is distracted by bigger acts that sold more records. It's the strange polarity that makes the process interesting. And nowhere is that divide more evident than in this, the last of our series examining the 2012 Rock Hall noms, when we look at three incredibly influential acts: The Marvelettes, Chic and The Meters.

Why They'll Be Inducted: The bigger question is, “Why haven't they been inducted already?” Seriously. They did the Motown classic, “Please Mr. Postman.” You'd think that alone would have shuffled them in the door. That and 1964's “Too Many Fish in the Sea.” Perhaps they were outshined at points by The Supremes and other girl bands of the day, but The Marvelettes' harmonies and ring of authentic emotion make their music as vital and pulse-quickening as it's ever been.

Mitigating Factors: I've got nothing. There's no good reason why The Marvelettes shouldn't be in The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame.

Why They Deserve To Be Inducted: Admittedly, I've expressed a lot of anti-disco sentiment in this space, and I have to own that. It's not a genre I have much affinity for. But that being said, if I must listen to disco, I far prefer it fall on the rhythm and blues/funk-influenced side of the spectrum … and that's the place where Chic lives. Chic was the band that created some of the more endearing and enduring hits of the disco era, most notably the high-energy dance machine, “Le Freak,” as well as “Good Times,” “Ring My Bell,” “I Want Your Love” and "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah).” While a lot of the band's music may be carefree, it was never entirely insubstantial, and its influence has been felt far and wide. And really, how can anyone hear “Le Freak” and not want to groove?

Why They Might Be Snubbed: It's still disco, man, which has never done well with the Rock Hall. Any good feelings — pardon the pun — to be had will likely go to the late Donna Summer.

Why They'll Be Snubbed: Make no mistake, The Meters are one of the greatest funk outfits in the history of the genre, with songs such as “Hey Pocky A-Way” and “Cissy Strut” being flat-out classics. Moreover, they've been the backing band for a number of legendary acts, including Paul McCartney and Robert Plant. And really, the band's “Fire on the Bayou” is one of the most blistering cool tracks ever laid down. In short, this band is smoking hot. But the fact remains, they don't have a whole lot of name recognition. The question remains, is the band's enormous influence enough to outweigh the fact that only real music wonks know who they are?

Mitigating Factors: This is the band the much better known Neville Brothers spun out of, and one can't help but wonder if this nomination isn't priming the pump for a Neville Brothers induction down the road? With any luck, this awesome band will be inducted in the sideman category, if nothing else.

Previous entries the series: Part One, Part Two; Part Three; Part Four. (Victor D. Infante)